


Too Far Gone

by obsessed_writer_things



Category: Log Horizon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Self Ship, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, slight blood and gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:04:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obsessed_writer_things/pseuds/obsessed_writer_things
Summary: A zombie outbreak struck the world over a year ago. Civilization is no more, and what’s left of it seems to be nonexistent. The group as a whole can barely make it through their journey to a safe compound. And with one sick, there's not much more time before at least two are suffering.Zombies & Self-Inserts & LOADS of canon characters... How fun!





	1. Lots of Searching

**Author's Note:**

> A self-indulgent piece I started on my tumblr and decided to move over here! There won't be anymore ships other than my self-insert, with a little bit of Naostugu/Marielle. If that's not your style, then this ain't for you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiroe and the others go out in search for medicine in an area that looks to be already torn apart. With rumors of raiders, there isn't much time they have left. As well as a member of the group slowly getting worse and worse with sickness.

Things were all too quiet. It didn’t seem right given the distance that we traveled from camp. We should have seen something by now. My hand shook around the gun in my hand, holding it still with the other while I walked cautiously. Broken pieces of glass crunched beneath my feet, scattered across the road from a nearby wrecked vehicle. 

Akatsuki leaned inside of it, scrounging for supplies while Naotsugu looked out.

“It’s all clear over here. There’s nothing for miles,” Shiroe shouted back to us from a distance, having gone off to check and make sure nothing would jump out at us.

“It doesn’t make sense,” I mumbled, “Why haven’t we seen anything yet? I thought we would have run into some of those freaks at least once on our way.”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure not waiting around to find out.”

Naotsugu rested the shotgun on his shoulders, his eyes flickering from mine to Shiroe’s. I felt his slender fingers lace through my own, a soft reassuring smile following shortly after. “It’s okay. We’ll just get what we need. We won’t be long,” He said, trying to calm me down. Shiroe’s smile always calmed me down. Even in this fucked up life we lived. 

Shiroe pressed a kiss to my forehead, squeezing my hand reassuringly. I readjusted the straps from my backpack on my shoulder, hearing the sound of Akatsuki’s voice fill the air. She pulled herself out of the car, holding a flashlight and some batteries. That was hard to come by now-a-days, but it wasn’t what we needed.

“This was all I could find. So much for supplies,” She mumbled, kicking her boots against the ground in frustration, “I thought you said there would be some resources along this way?”

“There was supposed to be,” Shiroe answered, “From what I heard from Henrietta there should be a building around here that hadn’t been scavenged yet.”

“Well, where is it?”

His mouth twisted in thought, eyes flickering around the rather barren stretch of road. Every building was visibly empty, most of them we’ve searched through. It didn’t seem like there was anything of use to us. He adjusted his glasses onto his face, sighing softly in frustration. We’d been walking for about an hour now, and we didn’t exactly want to go back to camp with nothing. 

There were members of our group that were starving and some that needed medical supplies we didn’t have. We were running out of time, and I could see that the stress was taking a toll on Shiroe. I hated seeing him like this. His mind always goes towards the best possible solution, but when there isn’t many options left he becomes… scatterbrained.

“Maybe someone got here before us. You heard rumors of a group of raiders nearby, right? Maybe that’s it.”

I was trying to help, and Shiroe could see that.

“You’re probably right. There’s no use in searching the places twice. Akatsuki, you go with Naotsugu and see if there’s anything we may have missed. Ashley and I will go try and find some first aid in the hospital over there.”

“Okay.”

“You got it, boss.”

They both nodded to us, Naotsugu shouting quickly for us to be careful. Watching them disappear into a nearby building, I felt a hand touch my elbow. I turned towards Shiroe, seeing his reassuring smile. I smiled in return, the gun in my hands feeling just a little heavier. Being out here made me nervous. The quiet seemed really off, and Shiroe could feel it too. I could see it in his eyes.

He motioned with his head for me to follow him, keeping a steady pace in front of me. I wanted to walk evenly with him, but I knew he’d never let me do that. I’m not sure why he wants to protect me like this. I’m way better at being in front. He knows that, but after the day we’ve had… he didn’t want to see anything bad happen to me.

I still reached for his hand, fingers grazing the warmth for just a second. It helped me feel a little more secure. He helped me step over the rather cluttered entryway of the abandoned hospital building, furniture tossed around no doubt from the beginning of the outbreak. 

There was rumors that a lot of people weren’t too excited about the quarantine. And after they were abandoned, there was many similar places that were raided. Most hospitals don’t have any supplies. It’s rare that anyone is able to find anything.

Hopefully, this will be our lucky day.

“I’ll go check out this hallway and clear it,” I said.

Before I could leave, I felt a hand on my shoulder to stop me. My eyes flicked over to Shiroe who looked rather stern. I swallowed, pursing my lips hesitantly. “No, stay with me. The building is too big for us to split up, especially since it’s just us,” He said, his face relaxing slowly.

“Right, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I have a… weird feeling.”

“You too?”

He nodded, slipping his hand from my shoulder. The seriousness on his face worried me a hit. When Shiroe was worried then that was my time to feel uneasy. Usually, he tries so hard to hide his true feelings to try his best not to scare me. Or any of us. When, in fact, it makes us even more nervous. 

Shiroe turned around, and I followed him down one of the hallways. Since the place was too big to search every individual room, we scouted the rooms on the first floor. We went around to make sure that there were no zombies in the surrounding area. Even after a year I still couldn’t get used to saying that out loud. Zombies.

Chewing on my tongue in concentration, I tightened my grip on my gun as I got into position in front of the door. We’ve done this so many times it’s basically routine now. Shiroe opens the door, slowly and cautiously, allowing us to see inside. That’s when I pull up my gun, fingers ready to put a bullet in any threat behind it. Relief washed over me when we scanned the area. No zombies. 

“Okay, looks all clear,” I said, still keeping my gun close. I know to expect anything. Never to let my guard down. Shiroe nods his head, turning around to open up any drawers and cabinets. I follow right behind him, but my main focus is making sure that no one or anything gets the drop on us.

He let out a frustrated sigh, shoving the last drawer closed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he grumbled under his breath. “We have other rooms to check. Maybe we’ll find something in there,” I said, trying to lighten his mood a bit. He dropped his arm to his side, giving me a quick nod.

“I’m just worried… if we don’t get there in time.”

“Shiroe, she’s going to be fine. Marielle is with her.”

“I guess… we just need to hurry.”

I nodded in agreement, seeing the truth behind his worries.

We really needed to get this medicine. A friend is dependent on it. Shiroe was more than scared that we’d be too late. It was my job to make sure he stays calm and levelheaded. I really didn’t need him going crazy on me. Not now. 

Shiroe and I examined the rest of the rooms on the first floor. Almost all of them were completely empty. We started to grow disappointed the more we looked. Shiroe was getting antsy, the creases in his brow growing by the minute. I tried to calm him, but even I was starting to lose hope.

Until we found it. The last room was like our saving grace. In the table, we found the exact medicine we were looking for. It was like a miracle. Shiroe’s smile warmed my heart, opening up my back to put the supplies into it. We found some bandages and a couple bottles of water. It was a surprise, and we were extremely thankful.

It seemed like everything was going to be okay.

“See? I told you we’d find it,” I said with a smile.

Shiroe nodded, following me back to the main entrance to the building.

“Yeah… You were right. What would I do without you here to keep me calm?”

“I’m not sure. Probably go crazy. Well, more than you already are.”

I winked, watching him chuckle softly. We stopped near the entrance, our smiles brightening. My heart skipped a couple beats when he looked at me like that. It was wonderful that even in the apocalypse I could still fall deeper in love with him. Our futures were interrupted, but we were still hopelessly in love. That was both amazing and dangerous.

Shiroe kissed my forehead softly.

“When we get back, why don’t we spend some time alone for a while?”

“That sounds like a great idea, baby.”

Shiroe tilted his head, eyes flicking down to my lips before falling back to my gaze. Everything seemed perfect and for a second I forgot where w were. A deadly thing to do. I knew that, but in the moment it didn’t seem like a problem. It was stupid and reckless.

Before I knew it, there was movement from behind him that I didn’t quite catch. Not until I saw his eyebrows raise and heard the loud inhuman growl. I yelped loudly, seeing the decomposed face over his shoulder that pulled him backward. It was like my hands couldn’t move fast enough. They were shaking just as fast as my heart was racing. 

When I lifted the gun, Shiroe had already elbowed the thing to the ground. He tried to step away, but another had crawled out from behind the information desk and tugged him by the leg. The first bullet went for the one that grabbed him before, my hand shifting to plunge one deep into the zombie's skull.

But then I heard another growl from behind me.

I staggered backward, spinning around to see yet another not too far away from me. It lumped forward rather quickly, clawing towards me with its mouth hanging open. Shiroe’s grunts could be heard in my ear almost like it was right there. But he was already in the distance trying to fight the thing off. 

The sound of the gun going off was going to alert more. But I had nothing else to fight with. I hoped that Akatsuki and Naotsugu would hear it and come running. But that was wishful thinking. And right now I didn’t have enough time to wish.

My finger pulled the trigger, watching the zombie fall to the floor. I didn’t waste any time to spin on my heels, shuffling towards the direction I heard Shiroe.

“Shiroe!” I screamed after him, my eyes darting around the darkened hallway.

I screamed his name over and over, tears clouding my eyes rather quickly. I was so scared and terrified. There were several worries in the back of my mind. Lots of what ifs that I couldn’t imagine. All I wanted was to see him when I turned the corner. Not the blood that seemed to trail, leading met to a body resting against the wall.

All of my fears seemed to punch me in the gut. I felt the instant regret through misty eyes and a flutter of a heartbeat. All the things that I should have done. The things I could have done. But that all melted away when I found the end of the trail and saw the face at the end.

It was all my fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you stay for the rest! If you wanna see more information or just check out my other works, my tumblr is the same (obsessed-writer-things). <3


	2. Running Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has to help return home and assist with Shiroe’s injury. Since he’s too stubborn about the importance of heading home, hoping to make it in time to help save a friend in their time of sickness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're liking it so far! I'm currently still on a block, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully soon!

“What the hell happened?!”

Noatsugu jogged towards us, his eyes wandering over the man that was draped over me and struggling to walk. I panted heavily, the adrenaline in my veins slowly starting to dissipate. My heart still pounded in my chest but for a different reason now. Shiroe didn’t look so good, though he tried his best to tell me several times that he was okay. The man could barely walk, the injury on his leg a bit worse than I thought.

When I found him in the hallway, he had just managed to kill the creature that dragged him away. In the process, he must have cut himself on some glass. I tried to get him out of the building, wanting to get some light and hopefully bandage him up. There didn’t seem to be any more zombies to worry about, but I hoped we didn’t have to stick around any longer.

“We found the medicine, but were ambushed right before we left,” I said, motioning my head towards Shiroe, “He got grabbed and hurt his leg. I haven’t gotten a chance to look at it yet.”

“Well, put him down. We need to get it cleaned.”

“No, I’m… I’m fine. We need to make it back before sundown.”

“Shiroe you are in no position to walk,” I said, sternly, “We can’t afford to wait.”

His eyebrows furrowed, and he continued to shake his head. This was not the time for him to be stubborn like this. Not after the injury he had. We still had quite a distance to walk, and he could barely move.

“I said I’m fine. We need to save the supplies. I’m not going to let us come all this way for nothing,” He said.

“At least let us wrap it to slow the bleeding.”

“Yeah. We can’t have you passing out on us.”

“Okay, yeah.”

His voice faded, unable to say anything else. Naotsugu helped me set Shiroe down on the ground, having Akatsuki keep watch while we bandaged him up. I shifted hair from his face, feeling the sweat that dropped from it. The sunlight helped me get a better look at him, seeing his flushed cheeks. If I would have been more careful this wouldn’t have happened. He wouldn’t have gotten hurt. He almost died because of me.

Because I was careless.

Shiroe squeezed my hand, disconnecting me from my thoughts. My eyes met his, a soft smile forming on my lips. “Don’t worry about me. I’m gonna be okay. It wasn’t your fault,” He said, almost as if he was reading my mind. Pursing my lips, I gave his hand another firm squeeze.

“I still should have been more careful.”

“It’s nothing you could have avoided. Don’t beat yourself up about it. We’re both fine.”

I nodded, bringing his hand up to my lips to kiss. Shiroe was right, but it still didn’t shake the feeling of regret I had. I didn't know what I would have done if something would have happened to him. If he would’ve gotten bit. The thought caused a shudder to crawl up my spine. I didn’t want to ever have to imagine that. A life without Shiroe is practically pointless. Naotsugu finished bandaging him up, dusting off his hands. “That’ll have to do for now. But you gotta let one of the girls look at it when we get back. It’ll get infected otherwise,” He said. Shiroe nodded, pushing up off the ground the best that he could. I helped him up, giving him a kiss on the cheek once he was steady on his feet.

Akatsuki trotted over, punching his arm. “That’s for being stubborn,” She mumbled, a small smirk curling onto her lips.

“I guess I deserved that.”

“Okay, as much as I’d love to see Shiroe get scolded, we have to get going. It’ll be dark soon.”

“Ashley’s right,” Shiroe said, “We're not sure how much more time we have left.”

“Alright, well then let’s head out. I’m starving.”

The three of us chuckled at Naotsugu’s words, following behind him in the direction towards camp. I stayed in the back with Shiroe, helping him when he needed it. He insisted that he could walk on his own, but eventually had to lean on me a bit for support. Sometimes I wished he wouldn’t be this stubborn. He was bleeding. But I knew he was just worried about making it back in time. The journey was shorter than on the way, mainly because we didn’t have to make many stops. Thanks to Akatsuki's flashlight, we were able to see once it became darker outside. We stayed close to each other, only stopping to give Shiroe a few breaks. My only worry was that we make it back before we have yet another accident.

 

We returned to camp without any more injuries. The abandoned warehouse could almost be overlooked in the darkness, the several amounts of towering trees covering it and the gate surrounding it. We were surprised that we were able to find it, and it’s been our base for the past few days. Although, we don’t plan to stay for too much longer. There were rumors of raiders nearby, and these raiders were very terrifying. They were the same group that we heard had been kidnapping and killing children. Since we have three children in our group, it’s best that we steer clear of them. It didn’t make sense to me that people would harm kids, but nowadays it doesn’t surprise me. People will do anything now that the world is basically a wasteland.

Anything to make them feel alive. To feel whole. If only for a second.

“Oh my gosh! You guys are back!”

Marielle bolted over the threshold, throwing her arms around Naotsugu. The impact caused him to stumble a bit, laughing as he squeezed his arms around her. Hearing her voice was like music to my ears. I missed her excitement and it helped brighten my mood a bit.

“It’s so good to see you. I was so worried!” She switched to hug me, her eyes falling onto Shiroe. She gasped, widening her eyes in surprise.

“Shiroe? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Just had a… little accident.”

Marielle huffed, helping me set him down on one of the benches in the middle of the room. Akatsuki shut the door behind us, clicking the deadbolt and heading off to find Henrietta. “Let’s take a look at it. Did you find the medicine?” She asked. Shiroe nodded, wincing as she pushed up his pant leg to reveal the wound.

It was bleeding through the bandages but didn’t look as bad as it did earlier. Naotsugu and I watched her unwrap the bandage, seeing the rather deep cut. “You cut yourself pretty good, Shiroe. Where’s the medicine? I’ll clean it up and have you better in no time,” She said with a soft smile. I opened up my backpack, handing her the first aid kit. We already put everything we found inside it, but I could see the hesitation on Shiroe’s face.

“Don’t worry. We’ll still have some left over.”

“How is Minori doing? Is she feeling any better?” I asked.

Marielle sighed, her smile slowly disappearing. She opened up the kit, gently using the peroxide on his wound. Shiroe winced a bit, slowly relaxing in his seat. His eyes were more focused on her, wanting to hear the news more than he cared about his own wound.

Minori, one of the younger girls in our group, had gotten sick a couple days ago. Each day that passes seems to be worse than the last, and some think that she’s on the verge of death. We’re still not exactly sure what’s wrong, but we needed to do what we could to help. Her brother, Tohya, hasn’t left her side since she had gotten ill. I’m not sure what’ll happen if she passes. He’s a strong kid, but sometimes he can be a little over his head. I worry that he’ll do something stupid if something happens to his sister.

“She’s still really sick. I can barely get her to eat or drink anything. I’m so worried,” Marielle said, her voice cracking a bit.

“Well, we have the medicine. I’m sure it’ll help,” I said, “Minori’s a strong girl. She’s a fighter. She won’t go down without a fight.”

“I sure hope so. I’d hate for something to happen. Losing her would… devastate me.”

“It’d devastate all of us.”

She nodded, reaching for the gauze in the kit. Shiroe’s eyes found mine, giving me a gentle nod. Like a silent thank you. Everyone was worried for Minori. That was the reason Shiroe could barely function today. Sometimes I feel like he’s even more worried than the rest of us. After all, were all family at this point. We’ve been trough so much together. We’ve survived together. To lose one of our own is a scary thought.

Marielle finished up with Shiroe’s wound just as Henrietta came barreling into the room. At first, she looked disheveled, slowly pulling herself together when she saw we were all safe. With a gentle sigh, she stepped forward and adjusted the glasses into her face.

“I’m so glad you all are alright,” She said, “Akatsuki told me what happened.”

“It was a deep cut, but I was able to clean it up. Shiroe’s really lucky Ashley was there.”

“Yeah… I was.”

Shiroe smiled in my direction, but I could only smile feebly back. I didn’t think he was lucky to have me. I felt at fault for the entire thing. But I said nothing as our friends quickly gave us a gentle greeting. Marielle offered to give us something to eat, but I wanted to see Minori as soon as possible. Naotsugu didn’t pass up the opportunity to have his meal, offering to bring some to Shiroe.

He was instructed to sit and let his wound breathe for a bit. That wasn’t something he wanted to do, but Marielle was very strict with her orders. It was hard to make Shiroe stay still, but he’s very attentive when it’s for his health. Besides, he knew better than to argue with Marielle.

She and I followed the hallway down to the bedrooms where Minori was. I could hear the gentle conversation of a few more of our group members, the melody sounding just like home. It was a much-needed sound for me after the day that I had. My anxiety had started to calm now that we were all safe and sound for the time being. I just hoped that Minori was going to be okay. That was my only concern now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! <3


	3. Sense of Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marielle and Ashley help take care of Minori, hoping that the medicine will help her through her battle with the sickness. Everyone has to pull their own weight in taking care of one another if they ever hope to get to the safe compound and protect each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually ended up finishing this quicker than I expected! Hope you like it so far! Don't worry it'll start picking up in the next couple of chapters. I have a lot in store, and will probably add more characters in the near future!

Minori looked the same as she did before we left. Entering that room and seeing her still bedridden ached my heart. Marielle sat the backpack down on the floor beside the bed, her smile turning towards Tohya who sat on a chair at her side. His furrowed brows had been the same since she'd gotten sick. So much determination to keep a close eye on her. I'm sure he hadn't left her side at all since we arrived. They're both such strong kids. It breaks my heart to see them this way, and I can't imagine what will happen if Minori doesn't make it. But that thought it hard for me to stomach.

"Tohya, honey, Shiroe and the others made it back with the medicine," Marielle said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Why don't you let Ashley and I take care of her. Go have something to eat."

His eyes flickered from hers to mine, the frown never leaving his face. I'm sure he wasn't trying to get his hopes up. We're not exactly sure if this medicine will work or just postpone the inevitable. He let out a sigh, squeezing his sister's hand as he stood up. He was silent, not saying a word as he turned around and closed the door silently behind him. I hoped maybe Shiroe could help relax him, or maybe Naotsugu can help him forget for a while. Tohya needing the distraction. We all did. Sometimes it's best that we forget the reality of the world for a while, especially for the young ones.

There was a soft shuffling of covers and a soft cough that sounded. Minori's eyes opened slowly, her eyelashes fluttering to expose her glossy eyes. I smiled, pressing my hand to her forehead and brushing the bangs from her face. Her weak smile made my heart sink in my chest. I longed to see the happy and bright grin that she always had. Life is so cruel to people like her. This world doesn't deserve such a bright and cheery and brave girl. She doesn't deserve this pain and suffering. All she ever wanted was to be important to people. To make this cruel world mean something.

"Hey sweetie," I said, softly, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm... I'm okay," She said, coughing softly, "Is everyone.... o-okay."

"Yeah, we all made it back okay. Shiroe got a little cut, but he's fine now. We're all safe, and we got you some medicine. You'll feel so much better in no time."

Marielle smiled weakly at me, knowing that I was giving her empty promises. But I couldn't be honest with her. I couldn't tell her that we had no idea if this would work. But Minori wasn't stupid. She knew the consequences. She slowly sat up on the bed, coughing yet again as she moaned from her weak muscles. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was a mess. I giggled a little bit, gently ruffling her hair and smoothing it out for her. She was always so adorable, and the way she looked up to Shiroe was cute. I can't imagine how he's taking this right now.

Sitting down beside her on the bed, I held her hand as Marielle took out the medicine from the bag. Handing her a bottle of water, Marielle opened the cap on the pill bottle and handed her to right dosage. There was also a needle for a shot, but that won't be used until we can sterilize it. There's no telling how bad her sickness really is since we don't have a doctor. We just have to hope that these pills will help her at least until we can find someone who will know for sure. Henrietta hopes that we can make it to the compound we've heard so many rumors about. But I'm not quite sure. We don't have any idea who even runs the safe place. All I've heard are bad things about them all.

I just don't want anything to happen to anyone.

Minori took the medicine, slowly gulping it down and wincing a bit. She coughed lightly, her hand shaking the bottle. Immediately, she laid back down on the bed, feeling the shivers from being exposed to the air for too long. I helped her bundle up in the covers, brushing my hand across her forehead one last time. "Get some rest now, honey. We'll check on you soon," I said. She nodded, her eyes flickering to my own.

"C-Can you... tell Shiroe to come see me soon. I really wanna see him."

"Of course. I'll let him know."

"But for now, you've gotta get some sleep," Marielle said with a bright smile.

Minori closed her eyes, burying her face into the covers as she fell back to sleep. It took her no time at all, not having much energy to stay up for very long. I should have known she would have wanted to see Shiroe. I'm just not sure how he'll be. He's already not feeling so good, and having to look at her like this is going to be really tough. All I could see in the back of my mind was his face in the hospital. How sad and angry at himself he was for not being able to find the medicine. The worry that filled his face when we thought we wouldn't make it back in time.

Sighing deeply, I stood up from the bed and glanced over to Marielle. She was stuffing things into my bag, the smile slowly fading from her face. She and I walked back into the hallway, not saying anything until the door was closed behind us. We walked back to the main room, our heads hanging low and our thoughts only on the poor girl. "I sure hope that this medicine helps. She needs a break," Marielle said with a sigh.

"Yeah... Me too."

"How's Shiroe holding up? Aside from the... accident."

She giggled softly at the comment, though it didn't cheer up her mood very much.

"I don't know. I'm kind of worried about him. He was having a bit of a rough time with the whole thing. I think he blames himself."

"That's Shiroe... At least he has you to be there for him. We all need that right now."

We stepped back into the main room just as Naotsugu came back in. Akatsuki trailed behind him, holding a can of soup in her hands. She pursed her lips into what looked like an almost half smile, trotting over to give it to Shiroe. "Shouldn't that be my job?" I asked, jokingly. She spun around, raising her eyebrows as a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. Sometimes she and I can be a bit... irrational when it comes to Shiroe. It's hard not to want to take care of him in situations like this, and we both care about him. We all care about each other equally, some more than others.

Shiroe sat up on the couch, his eyes settling on me a bit. He thanked Akatsuki quickly, but was more worried about what I had to say. I knew what he wanted to hear. The verdict on Minori was still jagged, and he wanted a definitely answer. We all did, but right now we didn't have any answers. Not until we give it at least a day to settle. "How is she doing?" He asked, sitting up on the edge of the couch. He wasn't resting his leg like we asked him to, which irritated me a bit. It looked like he was getting ready to get up and walk.

I stepped over in his direction, sitting down beside him. My hand rested on his knee, and I encouraged him to eat the food he was given. "She's... the same. Marielle gave her the medicine. We won't really know if it helps until it can settle in her system," I said. He didn't like that answer, but in the back of his mind he knew I was right. My hand ran along his back, gently pushing up the can towards him.

"Now, eat. You need to get your strength back up. Minori wants you to see her later," I said.

"Yes ma'am."

He smiled, brushing hair behind my ear with a chuckle. At least I can see that sliver of a smile. It was nice. Always a treat in situations like this. There was a hint of sadness in his eyes, but I tried not to pay attention to it. Curling up beside him, I made him readjust his leg and keep it steady for now. He did as I asked him too, but let me lean against him for a little while. Having him there and unharmed felt like some kind of miracle to me. For a second there, I thought that I had lost him. There were so many thoughts running through my mind at the time. I never wanted to go through that again.

But that's not a promise that anyone can make anymore.

Akatsuki appeared into the room, handing me a container of food. When she placed it into my hands, I lifted my eyes and furrowed my brows. "You need to eat too," She said, giving me a small smile. I smiled in return, silently thanking her and trying to hide the burning of my cheeks. Sometimes I take care of everyone else and forget to take care of myself. Shiroe and I are starting to have that in common. Although, with me it's more of that girlfriend instinct that I have. I love Shiroe, and losing him would mean everything. I would be losing my whole world.

The last connection I had to what we had before.

Before all of this.

"Better listen to her," Shiroe said, snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me closer, "Or she'll force it down like she almost did to Tohya."

"Oh no, Akatsuki!"

"He wasn't eating. He needs to eat more than the rest of us if he wants to help Minori," Akatsuki mumbled.

She plopped down onto the floor, sitting on her ankles in a criss cross position. Her bangs fluttered in front of her face as she adjusted her hair on her shoulders, placing the can of food in her lap. Popping it open, she pressed it to her lips and began to drink the soup rather quickly. There was a soft sigh that lingered from her lips, content with both the taste and the sustenance of the food itself. Shiroe and I both chuckled at her, shifting our eyes back to one another as we finished out own meals.

She was definitely right. We all needed to be smart and keep our strength up if we were going to stay strong in this fight. This world doesn't forgive, and we have no idea when it's going to turn on us. We need to be ready for anything. It's easy to forget how we have it until we're staring death in the face. It's hard to watch those that we care about and have grown fond of over these past few months slowly start to lose themselves. Especially those that are so young. We want to do everything we can so they can have a decent life.

That's all we could ever hope for these days.

A sense of reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you stick around for more!
> 
> Check out my tumblr for more!! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> If you wanna see more like this, check out my tumblr! (same title: obsessed-writer-things)


End file.
